Separable vase assembly



Nov. 11, 1969 M. T. SAKAMOTO 3,477,175

7 SEPARABLE VASE ASSEMBLY Filed March 5. 1967 INVENTOR. MITCHELLISAKAMOTO F 6. I WM Q9 W ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,477,175 SEPARABLE VASE ASSEMBLY Mitchell T. Sakamato, 99-1840 Aiea Heights Drive, Aiea, Oahu, Hawaii Filed Mar. 3, 1967, Ser. No. 620,428 Int. Cl. A01g 0.0; A47g 7/03 US. Cl. 47-4113 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A vase assembly having a built-in frog for holding flowers and the like comprises an upper bowl and a separable base, the base containing fixed pins to provide the frog and being threadedly attached over an opening in the bottom of the bowl.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION Field of invention The invention relates to vase assemblies of the type wherein a so-called frog is incorporated at the bottom for mounting the stems of flowers or the like for flower arrangements.

Prior art SUMMARY OF INVENTION The invention contemplates a vase assembly wherein the frog is a built-in permanent part of a detachable base. This provides all of the advantages of the anchored frog and eliminates the difliculties in mounting and cleaning.

It is therefore the major object of this invention to provide a vase assembly of novel construction wherein the upper part of the vase is separably attached to a coacting base containing a built-in frog.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel vase assembly comprising a bowl having a centrally apertured bottom and a frog having a detachable liquid tight connection with the bowl to underlie said aperture and serve as a base for the assembly. Pursuant to this object the detachable connection between the bowl and frog may be a threaded connection adjacent cooperating mating surfaces on the bowl and frog.

Further objects will appear in the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS FIGURE 1 is a side elevation partially broken away showing a vase assembly according to a preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view;

FIGURE 3 is an exploded side elevation view partially broken away and in section, showing component parts;

FIGURE 4 is a top plan view showing the base of the assembly apart from the bowl; and

FIGURE 5 is a section on line through FIGURE 4 showing the frog details.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The vase assembly 11 of the invention comprises an upper bowl 12 having a bottom opening 13 closed by a base 14 that unitarily incorporates a frog structure indicated at 15. The base has a fiat undersurface for resting on a table.

. Bowl 12 is preferably a molded plastic unit with openmg 13 formed centrally in its bottom wall and surrounded by a depending base attachment collar 16 that is internally threaded at 17. An annular flat sealing face 18 is formed on the bottom wall of the bowl radially inwardly of collar 16. Bowl 12 alternatively may be made of wood or other similar material.

Base 14 is cup shaped and comprises a bottom wall 19 from which an upstanding annular peripheral side wall 21 extends. Wall 21 is formed at its upper end with external threads 22 adapted to fit bowl threads 17 and a flat annular sealing end face 23.

A multiplicity of small diameter pins 24 have their lower ends 25 fixedly imbedded in base wall 19 and their pointed upper end 26 disposed at the same level within the confines of the base.

Preferably base 14 is made by separately forming bottom wall 19 in a molding operation wherein threads 17 are formed and the pins 24 are imbedded permanently, separately forming side wall 21 in a molding operation that includes formation of threads 22, and then assembling walls 19 and 21 as shown in FIGURE 5 while providing a good adhesive or heat sealed Water tight joint 27 all around their contacting surfaces.

The axial length of collar is approximatey equal to the axial height of the threaded upper end of base 14, and flat annular smooth faces 28 and 29 are provided on the bowl and base to meet in snug engagement in the assembly.

The base and bowl are assembled to usable condition by threading the base section 22 into bowl collar threads 17 with gasket 31 in place to be compressed between surfaces 18 and 23 when the base is turned into tight interlock with the bowl. At this time the radially outer fiat surfaces 28 and 29 are in snug contact, and since the external contour 32 of the base is made to merge smoothly into the periphery of bowl collar 16 the joint between the bowl and base is substantially invisible, being indicated by a line 33 in FIGURE 1.

In the assembly water is placed in the vase assembly, usually at least to the level of the tops of the pins 24 and the flowers are mounted upright by axially piercing their stems onto the pins. The assembly is watertight.

When it is desired to clean the base of sediment or the like deposited on the bottom betwen the pins, the entire base 14 can be removed from the bowl with a simple twist, and the frog area is exposed for cleaning. The base and bowl are equally easily reassembled. During normal use there is no need to handle a separate frog device or provide for locating it in the bottom of the vase.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A vase assembly adapted for the mounting of flowers and the like comprising an upper bowl having a central bottom aperture, a base comprising an upwardly cupshaped member detachably secured by means providing a liquid tight connection to said bowl for underlying said aperture and closing the bottom of the assembly, a builtin frog within said base having a plurality of fixed pins upwardly projecting to provide flower stem mounting means, said detachable securing means comprising a depending internally threaded collar on said bowl surrounding said aperture, an externally threaded upper end on said base adapted to be turned into said collar, said bowl and said base having annular fiat axially facing surfaces disposed radially inwardly of the respective threads thereon, and a seal gasket compressed between said flat surfaces in the assembly.

2. The vase assembly defined in claim 1, wherein said bowl collar and said base are formed with opposed axially facing annular surfaces adapted for mating contact outside the threaded connection in the assembly.

3. A vase assembly adapted for the mounting of flowers and the like comprising an upper bowl having a central bottom aperture, a base detachably secured with a liquid tight connection to said bowl for underlying said aperture and closing the bottom of the assembly, and a built-in frog within said base having upwardly projecting flower stem mounting means, said bowl having an integral depending internally threaded collar surrounding said aperture, a first axially facing annular surface on the bowl extending radially inwardly from said threads, a second axially facing annular surface parallel to said first surface extending around the bottom edge of said collar, and said base being cup-shaped with external threads around its upper end and having a third axially facing annular surface around its upper edge and a fourth axially facing annular surface extending radially outwardly from said base threads, and resilient seal means compressed between said first and third surfaces when said base is threaded onto said bowl collar.

4. In the vase assembly defined in claim 3, said second and fourth surfaces meeting in a substantial plane in the assembly, and the external surfaces of said bowl and base being cooperatively contoured adjacent said plane so that the assembly appears to have a continuous outer surface.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS ROBERT E. BAGWILL, Primary Examiner 

